Improvement in heel-dies



B. F F1SK & |V1.- B. STONE.

Improvement in Heel -Dies.

Patented April 25,1871.

UNITED Sqnrrns PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. FISK AND MARK B. STONE, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

lMPROVEMENT IN HEEL-DIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 114,121, dated April25, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. FIsK and MARK B. STONE, both ofHaverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, havejointly invented Improvements in Heel Punches or Dies; and we do herebydeclare that the following, taken in connection with the drawin g whichaccompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description ofour invention snlficient to enable those skilled in the art to practiceit.

The invention relates to the arrangement of parts and method ofconstructing heel punches or dies for punching out heellifts or formingheels for boots and shoes.

In ordinary heel-punching dies there is no provision for adjustment ofthe cutting-edge to cut more than one size of heel, the edge bein gformed of one piece of metal or a continuous band; nor is thereprovision in such dies for expellin g the punched lifts withoutinjuriously straining them or forcing them out of I shape; neither isthere provision for adjustably determining the depth of heel which canbe formed in the punch. Such provisions being the object we have had inview, we make a die or punch with its opposite sides (which are ofspring-steel) embraced between clampbars which are connected by a stoutscrewbolt passing through the punch from side to side, the head of thebolt bearing upon one clamp, and the screw-threaded end passing througha nut-thread in the other, so that by screwing up the bolt the sides ofthe punch can be pressed in to cut a narrow heel, the sides pressing out(as the screw is loosened) by their own spring or elasticity.

The breast-cutter is an independent piece from the curved knife thatcuts the sides and rear of the heel, and this cutter is removably fixed,and has provision for setting it more or less in from the end of thepunch, so that a shorter or longer heel may be punched.

The punch is held down to the plate upon which it is mounted by a screwbolt and nut,

the head of the bolt having an eye or eyes through which the cross-boltpasses, and on the cross-bolt is fulcrumed a lever, one arm of whichextends through the breast-formin g cutter, while the other arm extendsback from the bolt and has pivoted upon it a swiveling gage andlifter-plate, which, by throwing down the outerend of the lever, isthrown up' and ejects the heel-lifts, while, when in normal position, itforms a bottom plate for the lifts to rest upon as they are punched andsuccessively enter or are brought together in the punch. This gage andlifter-plate, in normal position, rest on the heads of two adjustingscrews, and by turning these screws more or less the depth towhich the gage-plate sinks into the punch is adjustably varied, so thatheels of greater or lesser thickness may be formed, and, whatever thethickness, theplate, when it is thrown up, preserves its horizontality,and thus forces the heel-lifts from the punch withoutinjuring,straining, or distorting them.

These details constitute the several features of our invention.

The drawing represents in plan, in central vertical section, and invertical section through or in line with the cross-bolt, a heel-cuttingpunch or die embodying the invention.

a denotes a strong metal base-plate, to which the die is fastened. bdenotes the main cutter, formed of sheet-steel, with a sharpcutting-edge, and bent into shape, its sides being held between theclamps c d by the screw-bolt e, and they being kept at proper distanceapart by the breast-cutter plate f. y

The sides may, however, be more or less contracted, with reference tothe plate f, by turning the bolt, and the punch may be made longer orshorter by changing the position of the breast-cutter f, pins 9 at theedges of whichmay enter either set of a series of holes, h, formed toreceive them.

idenotes the bolt by which the spring is fastened to the base-plate, theupper part of the bolt having eyes k, through which the bolt passes, andthe bolt being drawn down by the nut l, working on the screw-threadedend of the bolt and against the bottom of the plate.

Fulcrumed on the cross-bolt, between the two prongs of the bifurcatedhead of the bolt i, through which the cross-bolt passes, is a lever, m,the long arm of which extends through the breast-cutter, and the shortarm of which has pivoted to two ears, 0, extending from its end, thegage and lifter plate 1), the pivotal connection enabling the plate toswivel in the punch, so that, at whatever its position as to height inthe punch, it can be parallel to the top of the cutting-edge.

The lifter-plate is thrown up and down by the lever, and when down itrests upon the heads of the two adjusting-screws q, extending from andworking in nut-threads in the plate a; and in such position the platedetermines the thickness of heel which can be formed in the punch, theheel-lifts entering the punch as they are formed until it is full fromthe plate to the top of the cuttingedge.

By setting the screws higher or lower heels of various thicknessescan-be formed, and when thus formed by the punch and upon the gageplatethe outer arm of the lever is depressed and forces up the gage-plate,which keeps its horizontality as it rises, and thus ejects theheel-lifts squarely, or without twisting or distorting them.

The punch may be made of one band and its sides connected by thecross-bolt, and so that they may be brought more or less'distant; butfor full-size l1eel-lifts we prefer the two cutters.

We claim 1. The heel-cutting punch or die having its 7 opposite sidesconnected by a cross-bolt, e, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The heelcutting punch or die formed of the curved cutter-plate b andthe straight outter-plate f, made separate and connected by the pressureof the curved plate upon the edges of the straight plate and suitablepins, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the curved cutter b, the adjustablebreast-cutter], substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with the punch or die, the

